Gov. Greg Abbott had it in his power to avoid what likely will be a contentious special session next month. His lack of leadership, we fear, is going to cost the state.

The governor had an opportunity to limit the special session to reauthorizing the Texas Medical Board and a few other must-pass items that a distracted Legislature failed to handle in the recently concluded regular session. Instead, he tacked a slew of new, old and previously defeated measures under the banner of legislative emergencies, including a zombie-like rebirth of the defeated bathroom bill. It's a pity.

Plus, when it appeared that a brief special session would be needed to finish up basic agency reauthorizations of the Texas Medical Board, Abbott didn't keep the agenda narrow. Instead, he piled on a bunch of non-emergency items that play to the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus under the guise of must-pass legislation.

Taxpayers, who will pick up the hefty tab for this additional session, expect lawmakers to do their jobs in the time allotted every two years. Now we're stuck paying overtime for work we didn't want in the first place.

Assessing the rest of the special-session to-do list

Approving a $1,000 increase in teacher pay: More money for teachers is good, but unfunded mandates generally are not.

Crackdown on mail-in ballot fraud: Let's move on this, but why couldn't this have been done in the regular session?

Providing flexibility to hire and retain teachers: If you want students to learn, school districts must have ways to separate the good teachers from the bad ones. But this doesn't seem like an emergency item.

A commission to study ways to fix public school financing: We've grown tired of endless talk about fixing school finances. Here's a better idea: Do it already.